Military Service & Conflict

Almost 60 million military and conflict records on Findmypast contain reliable, accurate, and revealing information about your ancestor’s service history in conflicts that often impacted millions around the world. The records cover both world wars, as well as a range of other national and international conflicts dating from 1760 to the 20th century.

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There are more than 36 million Canadian and American military records in this category. Included in this record collection are records of both world wars, as well as conflicts in Vietnam, Korea, and the American Civil War. The types of records included in this category are lists of pension records, draft registration cards, lists of medals and honors, correspondence from the front, and histories of various units and battalions.

There are also records of prisoners of war and casualties from the various conflicts. The records themselves contain essential biographical details, as well as the triumphs and challenges your ancestors experienced while serving their nation.

Irishmen have been involved in centuries of war, combat and rebellion, both within Ireland and overseas. From World War 1 to famous national rebellions, discover your fighting ancestors in our range of military records. Many Irishmen have fought in the British Military throughout its history, with around 210,000 Irishmen fighting in the British Forces in the First World War. You’ll find many of these Irish fighters listed in our UK military records. Some of these men went on to use the training provided in the British Army to fight against the British in subsequent conflicts. Findmypast also has several Irish-specific military resources including World War 1 records, Rolls of Honour and pensioner’s service records. In addition, our collections feature records from some of the most pivotal conflicts in Irish history, such as the 1798 Rebellion and the 1916 Easter Rising.

There are over 12.5 million British records relating to military service and conflicts around the world. Records of servicemen included in this category covers both world wars as well as the Anglo-Boer War, Korean War, Spanish Civil War, Napoleonic War, and the Malayan Emergency. Peacetime army lists are also included, in addition to draft records, pension records, and lists of awards and decorations. Furthermore, there are records of army deserters, and on the other end of the spectrum, prisoners of war. You will be able to find officers and soldiers of all ranks and other servicemen of the RAF, Navy, Marines, and support personnel, including military nurses.

There are over 983,000 records in this category for Australia and New Zealand. They include any conflict involving Australian and New Zealand armed forces in both world wars, The Boer War, and other conflicts, such as the New Zealand Maori campaigns. The Anzac Memorial is also included in these records, a roll of honor of the men who served in World War 1. There are lists of British garrison deserters in Australia, as well as those who won various honors and medals serving with Australia and New Zealand.

The Findmypast ANZAC Memory Bank is a special online tribute dedicated to honoring the Anzacs. Here, you can share the heroic stories of your Anzac ancestors that you’ve uncovered on Findmypast. Read some of these touching tales, diaries, poems and words of appreciation, and view photographs of the brave men and women who represented their country at war.